


Professional Drama

by nonky



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 03:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17890829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonky/pseuds/nonky
Summary: Prompt by modestroad on LJ: Castle/Beckett, Kate gets hurt working on a case and the boys argue who's going to call Castle





	Professional Drama

New York City was all warehouses on some blocks; the bane of a good cop's suspect search and seizure. Beckett insisted Castle wouldn't stay in the car - Esposito nodded and Ryan clucked his tongue like a disapproving babysitter - and all three agreed Richard Castle's latest Nikki Heat bestseller could do without one more layer of warehouse authenticity.

They all knew how to fan out and cover themselves, and the huge building made it necessary. It wasn't possible to bring a dozen patrolmen down every time someone ran into a huge place like that. Beckett, Esposito and Ryan all knew they'd watch one another's back until they had to separate.

Beckett would live without fail, but her seven foot plunge from a walkway had nearly triggered heart attacks in her fellow detectives. The wounded list nearly quadrupled when they called Cap and realized someone would need to inform Castle.

"Not me, Dude, you guys are tight," Esposito said firmly, gesturing with his magazine to the phone sitting on Ryan's knee.

"I know Castle as well as you do. I'm lousy at giving bad news - do him a favour and call the guy. You know he'd want to be here."

The two men exchanged a glance, both deadpan and furiously suppressing nervous body language. Castle wasn't a mean guy, but he was going to flip out. They had been there to watch Beckett's back, had gone along with leaving her civilian partner out of it, and failed in protecting her.

"He helped you plan your proposal," Esposito said flatly. "You have the same hair colour almost, and that time he wore a tie it looked just like something you'd wear!"

"That's racial profiling, not cool. I can't help the colour of my hair," Ryan grumbled. "And that was my tie, he borrowed it because Beckett told him to dress up for an interview."

Both men shifted and sent guilty looks to the doorway where Beckett had been rolled through. She was probably going to have to stay overnight and take a week off work. There was no way Castle wouldn't come asking after her, even if they didn't call him.

"Okay, I'll call him," the Irishman said finally. "But only because I suspect he'll run down here with a diamond ring and try to marry her on her deathbed."

Abandoning his very stale and outdated magazine, Esposito leaned back and dug for his wallet. "Fifty says he jams it in here, wild to go down on one knee, and another fifty that she says yes."

They each slapped a few bills on the tiny coffee-stained waiting room table, happily distracted from the reality for a few minutes. Then Ryan took a sip of his cup, cleared his throat and dialed.

"Hey Castle, it's Ryan."

He tried for a mild tone, but he never called Castle unless Beckett was unavailable. It felt funny enough to be tense even without bad news.

"Ryan, buddy, what's up? Is Beckett okay," the greeting was friendly, but the writer was good at gauging tones of voice.

"Uh, she got hurt, but she's gonna be. Listen, we're at Jacobi Medical. A perp shoved her over a railing and she fell. They had to do a bunch of x-rays but she's just a bit bruised. Didn't even knock her out, so they're just being careful, really. Esposito and I are here with her, we're on the seventh floor. If you want I can send a patrol car to get you over here."

Scuffling and mumbles replaced Castle's usual blue streak of conversation. Ryan held out for an answer, and grimaced at his partner's elbow aiming for his ribs.

"You okay, there, Castle?"

"Yeah, I'm just - did the doctor say what -"

The wild movements of objects and air rose to hurricane levels and Ryan made a face as he handed the phone off.

"Hey, Castle, it's Javier."

The pause was long as the second detective received no acknowledgment. "Hey! Hey Castle! It's okay, man! She's gonna be fine!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know . . . it's . . . I know."

"I'm going to call for a patrol car to come for you, okay, Castle. Don't worry."

He stayed on the line through another excruciating minute of strange rustling that made it sound like Castle lived in a hamster cage instead of a penthouse.

"I'll go downstairs," Castle mumbled.

"Sure thing, buddy." Esposito hung up, rubbing at a roiling in his stomach. "You're going to have to apologize to the man for getting his girlfriend hurt."

Ryan leapt to his feet and snarled, "I am not telling that crazy guy I was partially responsible for this. I am going to wash up a little, though, if we're going to have to witness this wedding tonight."

Tossing the cooled coffee out, both detectives grinned.

"Like a soap opera," Ryan added fondly.

"Just waiting for somebody's evil twin to show up."

"Should we warn Josh?"

"I think we should warn Beckett," Esposito noted mildly. "I think we should warn the block."


End file.
